There are aliens on the International Space Station, says a Russian cosmonaut. You just need a microscope to see them.

Anton Shkaplerov said scientists in his country have identified living bacteria from outer space on the surface of the station. He claims the bacteria were collected with cotton swabs during spacewalks around the Russian segment of the station years ago.

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"And now it turns out that somehow these swabs reveal bacteria that were absent during the launch of the ISS module," Shkaplerov told Russian news agency TASS. "That is, they have come from outer space and settled along the external surface. They are being studied so far and it seems that they pose no danger."

Shkaplerov said some bacteria on the station came from Earth, brought aboard accidentally via tablet computers and other materials.